The findings, published Nov. 2 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM, add further support to current recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination at any point in pregnancy, including booster doses after the initial two-dose series, to help protect pregnant women from severe COVID-19. The researchers also found that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination during pregnancy conferred protection to unborn babies, a substantial benefit since babies must be at least six months old to receive their first COVID-19 vaccination.
Dr. Yawei Jenny Yang
“We and others have shown mRNA vaccination results in a strong initial immune response in pregnant individuals, but long-term protection has been unclear,” said study co-lead author Dr. Yawei Jenny Yang, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell. . Medicine and Pathology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “We believe our study is unique in that it longitudinally assesses long-term immunity in pregnant and non-pregnant subjects up to 10 months after the first two SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines.”
For their study, which involved extensive collaboration across multiple departments, Dr. Yang and his colleagues collected and analyzed blood samples from 53 pregnant and 21 non-pregnant women cared for at Weill Cornell Medicine who received the first two doses of Pfizer or Moderna SARS – CoV-2 mRNA vaccine between Dec 2020 and June 2021. The vaccines targeted the original Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2, and no study participants had ever had COVID-19. The researchers collected blood at the time of the first and second doses of the vaccine, two weeks after the second dose, and at regular intervals for 42 weeks.
The researchers found that vaccination resulted in strong levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies specific to the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2, called anti-spike IgG antibodies, the most abundant, strongest and long-lasting antibodies produced by the immune system after inoculation with mRNA. Antibodies bind to the virus and attack it directly or prevent it from infecting cells.
The results of the study showed that levels of IgG antibodies against the spike were similar in pregnant and non-pregnant women. The peak immune response to vaccination occurred approximately two weeks after vaccination, regardless of when vaccination began during pregnancy. The amounts of these antibodies declined at a similar rate in pregnant and non-pregnant subjects, to 64 to 77 percent of the peak by about six to eight months after vaccination. This finding further supports the benefits of booster doses in maintaining optimal protection against COVID-19, regardless of pregnancy status.
Dr. Laura Riley
In addition, Dr. Yang and colleagues found IgG antibodies against the spike in cord blood from vaccinated pregnant women who gave birth at NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns, confirming earlier reports of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination . baby protection. “We are grateful to the participants who enrolled in the study to help others,” he said.
“Early in the pandemic, clinicians recommended vaccination based on the need to protect pregnant women from the devastating effects of COVID-19,” said senior study author Dr. Laura Riley, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Given Foundation Professor in Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine and obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “We can now say with certainty that after vaccination, pregnant women have as strong an immune response as non-pregnant women. Our data, and the accumulated research on vaccines against COVID-19 in pregnant people, indicate that the vaccines protect pregnant women from the effects of COVID and also protect their babies.”
“We hope our findings will encourage more pregnant people to get vaccinated,” she said.
Many physicians and scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine maintain relationships and collaborate with external organizations to advance scientific innovation and provide expert guidance. The foundation makes these disclosures public to ensure transparency. For this information, see the profile for Dr. Riley.
